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  Eriosyce esmeraldana CACTUS ART
NURSERY

Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents.


Eriosyce esmeraldana (The almost spineless form from Esmeralda)

If you like deep purple-bodied plants, you simply must get it (if you haven't already).

 

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Cultivation:  It is a summer-growing species.  Water regularly in summer, but do not over-water (rot prone).  It needs good drainage and very a porous potting soil   Keep dry in winter.  Feed with a high potassium fertilizer  in summer. Full sun to light shade

Propagation: Seeds (seldom produces offsets)


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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific name:  
Eriosyce esmeraldana (F. Ritter) Kattermann
in: Eriosyce (Cactaceae) The genus revised and amplified 1: 119, 1994

OriginChile, Along the cost from Pan de Azúcar Natinal Park South to Esmeralda

Habitat: They strive in granitic hills, few km. from the sea. Some plants grow (and sunk) in flat lands or on soft slopes, only in sand (eventually with little rocks and quartz) while others lives in rocky slopes, between cracks. They grows along with Copiapoa longistaminea.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Synonyms:  

  • Chileorebutia esmeraldana F. Ritter 1963
  • Neochilenia esmeraldana (F. Ritter) Backeberg 1963
  • Neoporteria esmeraldana (F. Ritter) Donald & G.D. Rowley 1966
  • Thelocephala esmeraldana (F. Ritter) F. Ritter 1980
  • Eriosyce occulta subsp. esmeraldana
  • Eriosyce odieri v. esmeraldana
  • Neochilenia occulta
  • Neoportieria occulta
Description: Eriosyce esmeraldana is a tiny geophytic , spineless (or spiny) plant usually solitary or sometime branching.
Stems: Flattened
, mostly underground, the unusual colouring ranges fromdark green to purplish-brown, 3-4 cm in diameter (but up to 6 cm in cultivation).
Ribs: 13-22, dissolved into ± rounded tubercles.
Root: Long turbiniform conical taproot,
Spines: Almost spineless or with 5-7 short, thin, needle like spines, 3-5 mm long.
  The spineless form is more popular with collectors
Flowers: Apical, yellow (greenish) or reddish, 2-3 cm long and wide. Black bristles and dense wool cover the floral tube and pericarpel.
Fruit: Ovoidal, dry with a thin wall and dehiscing by a basal pore.

Individual plants of this species shows a certain degree of variability depending on origin, The plant found from north of Pan de Azucar, arriving to Esmeralda, are mostly with white spines. The plants at north of Esmeralda have usually black spines. While in Esmeralda most of the plants are spineless.
 

 




Photo gallery: Alphabetical listing of Cactus and Succulent pictures published in this site.

Photo gallery ERIOSYCE

Home | E-mail | Plant files | Mail Sale Catalogue | Links | Information | Search

All the information and photos in cactus art file are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.